Establishing synergy between industry and communities can make both more sustainable in the long run, and investing in individuals and social enterprise is always better than free financial aid, according to Per Heggenes, CEO of IKEA Foundation.
"We do a lot of great things in this country. We invest almost 25 million every year but we do that because we think its good for business. We think it's smart to have a long term focus on communities. It provides us with a safe source of products for our business," said Heggenes. His organisation is the philanthropic arm of the Swedish home furnishings company IKEA.
Stressing the need for philanthropy as a market where companies enable communities understand the need for development, Heggenes said industry players should desist from blindly providing facilities that may not be put their real use by the society.
For instance, Heggenes said, people in rural areas use government provided toilets as storage. "This is because they do not understand the repercussions on their environment in terms of health and sanitation. Nearly 650 million people do not use toilets in India. In such a situation, it is important that they be first made aware of risks of poor sanitation and hygiene."
Heggenes also spoke of his organisation's efforts to empower women in rural areas by helping them acquire skills.
"We do not want them to be dependent on us. We know that starting out is hard so we help them start. We even sell some their products at IKEA stores across the world, but after a point we want them to be able to survive on their own."
IKEA Foundation has joined hand with various NGOs in India, such as Landesa, Pradhan, Pratham, as well as the international UNICEF. They work specifically for the empowerment of women and children in the country.
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